I received an email today from a friend that I had to take time to respond to because I feel like it addresses some of the sticking points that are still making it difficult for certain segments of people, who want to be supportive, to truly get behind the Occupy Movement. It is from a great Vets for Peace gentleman who has been an awesome local supporter, but he has a hard time with certain occupation tactics. He was specifically responding to the video of the Iraq War Veteran who was beaten and ended up with a ruptured spleen.
Hopefully I helped to facilitate some perspective exchange below the fold.
Ron's Message
Hi Marshall,
I feel that provoking the police into becoming brutal is
counterproductive. Police brutality is not the issue. Got to include
them as part of the 99%. You have done it here.
Camping is not the issue either. Honey works better than vinegar.
What if everyone went home at night and showed up day after day?
The Homeless issue would go away. There would be no reason for
evicting people "cleaning out all the unhealthy filth" as you see in
the media.
The police might be harder on a "unpatriotic veteran" who goes against
the norms of "society". The cop might have been ex-military and has no
sympathy for people who question the system.
I believe that it is hard for most Americans to relate to protest.
After we all live in the most wonderful country in history and are the
beacons of freedom and democracy. To complain is at least ungrateful
and at the most treason.
Listen to Ann Colter or Malicious Malikin or any of the Fox pundits.
They tell Americans what to think wrapped in patriotism.
Won't be there Sat.But Gary or Bill will bring our flags unless it rains.
Ron
My Response
Hi Ron,
Police brutality is being used to crush our First Amendment rights. Bloomberg has created a police state in lower Manhattan where even mainstream media is censored and arrested. This does not mean we are attacking individual police personnel, but it does mean we have a duty to point out these abuses of our constitutional rights as Americans. "Congress shall make no law...." also applies to City Ordinances, Park Ordinances, County Ordinances, Mayoral policies, individual officers' judgments, etc.
We took to the streets to make a point about money in politics and corporations control of our political system. We found out that our 1st Amendment rights no longer apply in America. My immediate two-word thought regarding the previously stated facts is, "hell no".
I stand by my statement that if citizens want to peaceably assemble in public spaces to redress their grievances with their government then they should be able to do so regardless of time of day. We have one young lady who was arrested who works two jobs and goes to school full time. One of the only times she is able to exercise her civil rights is after park closing hours, (additionally, De La Guerra Plaza is not technically a park, it is an "easement" and shouldn't be subject to any park ordinances, per our lawyers, but that is besides the point).
Also, the camps provide much needed community support, especially for our citizens who do not have homes, as well as locations to gather educational resources, (stunned, by the way, to see the that the NYPD ended up throwing away thousands of books as they destroyed the Occupy Wall Street Library). People without homes also have a right to gather in public spaces to redress their grievances. We have middle-aged homeless people who are part of our movement who are only without a home because of they were foreclosed on (many times illegally). I hope you are with me when I try to make an effort for Santa Barbara to stop demonizing our homeless people, (and, yes, they are "ours" regardless if they are just passing through or actually staying here in my opinion). FYI - I find it offensive when people dehumanize our brothers and sisters who are homeless by referring to them as an "issue", as "the homeless", or any other term that leaves out the fact that they are people with every God-given right that any of the rest of us has regardless we sleep outside, in a van, in a house, in a shelter, a condo, rent, own, whatever.
One thing that the non-camping supporters of this movement sometimes fail to understand is that part of spending this time in the public square that is truly revolutionary is that we have to learn how to live with our community members again. It is an incredibly amazing feeling to not be sequestered alone every night after work, or to be taking part in more trivial pleasantries, and actually sit and have really challenging and interesting conversations well into the night. Occupation protests are not a new phenomenon in America and actually. You can read a good article regarding that fact here.
There are other tactics that are probably not going to be that popular at first such as general strikes, closing ports & bridges, occupying foreclosed homes, occupying/reopening closed libraries, occupying abandoned buildings to turn them into open community centers, occupying rooftops to install solar panels, etc. These events are all happening now, or will be soon, and may piss some people off, but that is just how drastic the situation is. Allot of those who give me flack for these types of actions were people from the generation that occupied Kent State, but seemed to have forgotten how desperate the situation felt back then. Well, I'd argue that the situation is worse now, from an economic and political standpoint. Political graft has become totally legalized and institutional, resulting in a multimillionaire mayor of our largest town to just decide of his own volition, (and with a sympathetic judge in tow after being denied by a first judge), to close down blocks of the city to any media. Just, wow...
Regardless of whether or not a police officer has "sympathy" for protesters is besides the point. They have taken an oath to upload the law of these lands, which holds our Constitution (in most cases) above any state laws. Especially the 1st Amendment. Have you seen video of the middle-aged woman getting punched in the face by the NYPD? How about the 87 year old who was pepper sprayed just for being on the street in Seattle? If we are protesting corporations taking over our government, and our government is using the police forces against us to please the interests of their corporate donors/masters, then shouldn't we also be protesting the illegal suspension of our constitutional rights and all authoritarian abuses by those in power? It is all related from where I stand.
If people still take Fox news seriously then they need help. I really feel sorry for anyone who still only listens to old/mainstream media. Those were the same pundits who urged us into the Iraq war, cheered everyone on as they used their homes as personal banks for credit leverage they could never afford, and told everyone not to worry right up to the point of the recession. Why would anyone listen to them anymore?! In my opinion this movement can't be responsible for people who choose to get their news from corporate-controlled monopoly-media. The revolution will not be televised, but it is going to happen anyway, whether they like it or not.
Thanks for sending the flags on Saturday! It's going to be a very great day for occupation actions worldwide!
In solidarity, unity, & respect,
Marshall Getto
Twitter - @marshallgetto
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